Organic solar cells could be best for space missions

Solar cells made with organic materials could be better than conventional silicon and gallium arsenide for generating power in space.

U. Michigan • futurity
Jan. 17, 2025 ~5 min

The Starbase rocket testing facility is permanently changing the landscape of southern Texas

SpaceX has brought both well-paying jobs and rocket debris to southern Texas.

Robert A. Kopack, Faculty Instructor of Human Geographies, University of South Carolina • conversation
Jan. 17, 2025 ~10 min


Bezos’ Blue Origin has successfully launched its New Glenn rocket to orbit − a feat 15 years in the making

Even without recovering New Glenn’s reusable booster, Blue Origin has joined the ranks of commercial companies with rockets able to launch into orbit.

Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, Air University • conversation
Jan. 16, 2025 ~8 min

A national, nonpartisan study of the Los Angeles fires could improve planning for future disasters

The Los Angeles fires may be the most costly natural disaster in US history. An expert on safety, risk reduction and complex systems calls for a blue-ribbon commission to analyze their causes.

Najmedin Meshkati, Professor of Engineering and International Relations, University of Southern California • conversation
Jan. 15, 2025 ~12 min

X-ray flashes from a nearby supermassive black hole accelerate mysteriously

Their source could be the core of a dead star that’s teetering at the black hole’s edge, MIT astronomers report.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News • mit
Jan. 13, 2025 ~8 min

Why does a rocket have to go 25,000 mph to escape Earth?

A rocket needs to overcome the force of gravity to leave Earth behind.

Benjamin L. Emerson, Principal Research Engineer, School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology • conversation
Jan. 13, 2025 ~7 min

As the US and China race to the Moon, these loopholes in space law could cause conflict

Nations will need to tread carefully on the Moon in order to avoid conflict.

Gbenga Oduntan, Professor of Law, University of Bradford • conversation
Jan. 3, 2025 ~8 min

MIT scientists pin down the origins of a fast radio burst

The fleeting cosmic firework likely emerged from the turbulent magnetosphere around a far-off neutron star.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News • mit
Jan. 1, 2025 ~9 min


NASA’s micro-mission Lunar Trailblazer will make macro-measurements of the lunar surface in 2025

Lunar Trailblazer is planned to launch on the first Commercial Lunar Payload Services mission of 2025.

César León Jr., Ph.D. Student of Planetary Geology, Washington University in St. Louis • conversation
Dec. 29, 2024 ~8 min

From new commercial Moon landers to asteroid investigations, expect a slate of exciting space missions in 2025

From exploring the Moon to revealing mysteries of the solar system, space agencies around the world are gearing up for an exciting year of launches and flybys.

Zhenbo Wang, Associate Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee • conversation
Dec. 26, 2024 ~11 min

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